JÖRG IMMENDORFF

At the end of the twentieth century, Jörg Immendorff was celebrated worldwide as one of the most important artists of his generation. With his tough, carefully cultivated image, his controversial lifestyle and extraverted artwork, he became known as a “painter prince”. In recent years, however, his work has gone largely overlooked and there has never been a comprehensive retrospective in Düsseldorf, where he lived for most of his life.

In the autumn of 2026, the Kunstpalast will examine (with the help of national and international loans) all phases of his work, from his beginnings at the art academy to the last pieces in his local studio. The approximately 100 exhibits on display will include large-format paintings, sculptures of bronze and wood as well as drawings and archive material that have never been shown before. These objects illuminate the breadth of his creative scope, his persistent questioning of the artist’s role in society and his simultaneous confrontation with both societally pressing political contexts as well as the contradictions of his own character. Looking back, the art of a familiar figure, obscured by self-presentation, will be cast in a new light.